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14 December 2025
10 Worst Habits for Your Heart 21NOV25
GOOD advice from AARP for me, for you, and to share with family and friends.....
10 Worst Habits for Your Heart
Everything from bad sleep to stress can hurt your heart and wreck your health
By
Jeanette Beebe
AARP
There’s good news and bad news when it comes to your risk of developing heart disease, the leading killer in the U.S. Let’s start with the bad. Several factors can raise your risk for getting heart disease — a term used to describe a range of conditions that affect the heart and blood vessels. Some you can’t control, like family history, access to good-for-you foods and safe, affordable housing.
That said, there’s a lot you can do to help prevent heart disease and, in certain cases, reverse it. Some of these actions, however difficult to achieve, are obvious: Get active, eat better, lose weight and stop smoking. “Lifestyle changes are difficult for everyone,” says Dr. Sabra Lewsey, a cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine. “But they are profoundly important and can make lifesaving gains in your health.”
Others are more surprising.
Here are 10 habits to avoid to improve your heart health.
1. Not getting enough physical activity
Not moving enough, especially on a regular basis, is risky for your health. Studies have shown a strong association between inactivity and cognitive decline, and an increased risk of death. Fortunately, almost any sort of activity that raises your heart rate is a good place to start. It’s important to move your body and elevate your heart rate for at least 150 minutes every week. You should throw in twice-weekly strength training sessions too, according to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
That may seem like a lot of exercise, but you don’t need to do it all at once. As long as you get your heart rate up for 15 minutes or more at a time, it counts. Also, “activity” doesn’t have to be a gym class or a bike ride. It could be gardening, shopping, walking the dog or cleaning.
“You don’t have to go from doing nothing to running marathons,” says Dr. Quentin Youmans, assistant professor of medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “In fact, the biggest leap in benefit comes from doing nothing to doing something. Just start by dedicating yourself to doing some activity every day to get your body moving.”
Take, for example, beginning with a 10-minute walk. A 2023 study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found that increasing your activity by 1,000 steps a day — or about 10 minutes of walking — was associated with a 15 percent reduction in dying from any cause; an increase in 500 steps was linked to a 7 percent reduction in dying from cardiovascular disease.
2. Drinking too much alcohol
“Not everyone recognizes the connection between heart health and alcohol,” Youmans says. Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure, cause irregular heartbeats “and even have a direct toxic effect on the heart.”
Overimbibing “can lead to heart failure or a weakening of the heart,” says Dr. Amber Johnson, a cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at University of Chicago Medicine.
How much is too much? The World Health Organization declared in 2023 that no amount of alcohol is safe.
For those who do drink alcohol, the recommended limits in the U.S. are one drink a day for women and two for men.
3. Skimping on sleep
Not getting seven (or eight or nine) hours of good sleep a night will slowly, but quite reliably, damage your health, including your heart. “Poor-quality sleep or untreated sleep apnea can lead to high blood pressure and affect heart health,” Lewsey cautions. Lack of sleep has also been associated with diabetes and weight gain, which negatively affect heart health too.
Sleep apnea can “cause abnormal heart rhythms,” Johnson says.
4. Eating foods bad for your heart
A diet full of processed foods, saturated fat, sodium and sugar can contribute to heart disease. Instead, opt for a heart-healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, lean protein, nuts and whole grains.
In a scientific statement published in the journal Circulation, an American Heart Association (AHA) committee ranked the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet at the top of the list of heart-healthy diets. This diet, designed to treat or prevent high blood pressure, is low in salt, added sugar, alcohol and processed foods, and rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes.
Also ranking high for its heart-health benefits is the Mediterranean diet, which, like DASH, consists of mostly plants, limits meats and focuses on “good fats” such as walnuts, almonds, olive oil and avocados.
A few tips: Swap sodas for water — a lot of water. Watch out for processed, sugary and fried foods, and be mindful of what you eat and drink at restaurants.
“Avoiding [foods] high [in] sodium is really important,” Johnson says. The AHA recommends that most adults consume fewer than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day, with 2,300 mg as an upper limit. Yet the average American consumes more than 3,400 mg of sodium a day, the AHA says.
Pay attention to those numbers from your routine blood tests, too. Watch out for an excess of bad cholesterol (LDL) and/or triglycerides and not enough good cholesterol (HDL). Also, high blood sugar can damage your blood vessels. People with diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease, and they’re more likely to experience heart failure.
Try not to “overindulge with food,” Youmans warns. “We all love that slice of pizza or juicy hamburger, and in fact, occasionally, those foods can be OK. But when our diets consist of foods high in fats and sugars all the time, it starts to affect our heart health negatively.”
5. Living a lonely life
It’s so important to have friends and family to lean on. Unfortunately, that kind of support is not as common as you may think.
In 2023, 1 in 3 adults ages 50 to 80 reported feeling isolated in the past year, according to the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging. More than 1 in 3 older adults (37 percent) reported feeling a lack of companionship. These circumstances can be terrible for your health, including your heart. A 2023 advisory from the U.S. surgeon general explains that social isolation and loneliness are associated with a 29 percent increase in the risk of heart disease and a 32 percent increase in the risk of stroke. What’s more, the report says the effect of social isolation on high blood pressure among older adults “is even greater than that of other major clinical risk factors, such as diabetes.”
That’s why it’s crucial to find a group of people who will be there for you and make you feel fulfilled. Try to “seek community resources and support groups to help you with these lifestyle changes,” Lewsey says, and work to “build a network of support” to help you along the way.
Vaccines and Heart Health
Vaccines don’t just help fight off some pretty nasty illnesses. Research suggests they can also help protect your heart.
- A study published in the AHA journal Stroke found that people who were hospitalized for a flu-like illness were 38 percent more likely than adults hospitalized for other reasons to have a stroke within a month of their hospitalization. Receiving a flu vaccine within the year before hospitalization lowered a person’s stroke risk to 11 percent.
- A study published in the journal Circulation found that people with heart failure who got an annual flu vaccine were 18 percent less likely to die from cardiovascular disease or any other cause than those who didn’t get a flu shot.
- A study presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference in 2020 found that the shingles vaccine may reduce stroke risk by about 16 percent in older adults.
- A study published in JAMA Network found that full vaccination against COVID-19 was associated with a reduced risk of heart attack and ischemic stroke after a coronavirus infection.
Source: American Heart Association
6. Smoking tobacco
Whether you vape or smoke cigarettes or cigars, tobacco is terrible for your health. Secondhand tobacco smoke is, too. But what you may not realize is that tobacco doesn’t just damage your lungs and cause cancer; it’s also bad for your heart.
“Even in someone who has been a long-term smoker, there are immediate and long-lasting cardiovascular benefits of quitting smoking,” Lewsey says.
Tobacco damages blood vessels and causes plaque buildup (atherosclerosis), which can trigger a heart attack, abnormal heart rhythms and, eventually, heart failure.
What can you do? “Set a quit date,” Youmans says. “Let your friends and/or loved ones know so that they can hold you accountable, and use nicotine replacement or other medicines to help you quit with the help of your doctor.”
You can find tips and other help on the CDC’s website.
7. Minimizing your mental health
Managing stress is key to maintaining good health. If anxiety gets out of control, we’re more likely to do things that are damaging. Stress raises your blood pressure. Find things you enjoy that will help you calm down and breathe better. For some people, it’s meditating. Others enjoy hiking, cooking or playing board games with friends.
Can anxiety or panic attacks damage your heart? Not usually, but heartbreak might. The condition is commonly called broken heart syndrome, and it’s “a type of heart failure,” Johnson explains. “If you are under very intense stress, like if you are in a car crash or your loved one dies suddenly, that can cause a weakening of the heart,” she says.
The solution is often medication (such as beta-blockers), plus a plan to manage stress in a healthy way.
8. Waiting to lose weight
Carrying around extra weight, especially around your waist, is bad for your heart.
Obesity is a risk factor for heart disease. Researchers have found that the heavier you are, the higher your risk is for heart disease — it’s a so-called silent heart injury, even if you feel healthy, even if your numbers look good.
It’s also true that being overweight can spike your cholesterol levels, blood sugar, triglycerides and blood pressure. All of these factors damage your heart and raise your risk for developing heart disease.
“One tip is to buy a scale, as knowledge is power, and this will help you keep track [of your weight],” Youmans suggests. “To help to move the scale in the right direction, remember that you need to burn more calories than you consume, so try getting more active and eating fewer calories.”
You don’t need to lose much to reap heart-health benefits: Losing 5 to 10 percent of your body weight can improve your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar numbers.
9. Neglecting your teeth
Though a clear scientific link between dental hygiene and heart health hasn’t been established, some researchers say there is an association between the two. That is, poor oral health can mean poor heart health. Gum disease is associated with heart disease, and bacterial infections and inflammation appear to play a part, too.
“Good dental health, with regular cleanings, is also important [for] overall heart health,” Lewsey says.
Despite that benefit, half of people 65 and older didn’t see a dentist in 2021, according to the American Dental Association.
10. Giving up too soon
Good heart health is often difficult to achieve and even harder to maintain — especially when everyone around you continues to do things you know aren’t good for you.
“A lot of these health behaviors that we have found to be important vary from community to community or culture to culture,” Johnson says. “Certain cultures may not eat the foods that are considered heart-healthy ... so there may be some disparities.”
Above all, it’s important not to give up. “Habit change is hard,” Youmans says. “It can take some time to break them, particularly if they are enjoyable.”
He adds, “Anything that is worth having takes time. Making a small change that you can sustain for a long period is much more important than a bigger change that may be harder to sustain.”
Every day is an opportunity to get healthier, whether it’s walking past the candy jar, meditating or taking the stairs. Make your lunch the night before instead of grabbing fast food. Set up a weekly social group. Get 15 more minutes of sleep. Do it again, again and again.
Editor’s Note: This story, originally published Nov. 8, 2021, has been updated to include new research and information.
More From AARP
Detained Immigrants Detail Physical Abuse and Inhumane Conditions at Largest Immigration Detention Center in the U.S. 8 DECEMBER 2025
IMMIGRANTS ARE WELCOME HERE!!!
FRANCISCO GASPAR ANDRES, wan immigrant fram Guatemala weh dem did a hold a Ft Bliss, ded inna captivity pan 3 DEC 25 fram liver an kidney failure cause him neva get adequate medical care. Not only SEC of Homeland Security fascist fotze trunt kkkristi noem ignoring established international human rights, she a authorize crimes against humanity an violations a American law by tolerating ( an probably authorizing ) di physical an sexual abuse along wid di neglect a detainees. Knowing har perverse attitude an narcissistic, sociopathic, an psychotic personality one haffi wanda if she a in fact tek great pleasure inna di abuse a immigrant detainees an di ice, hsi & cbp gestapo violence an civil liberties violations against immigrants an American citizens peacefully but actively opposing di illegal an immoral actions . Mi have no doubt noem, fascist fotze trunt greg bovino , fascist fotze trunt tricia mclaughlin, fascist fotze trunt goebbels clone stephen miller an di res a di Homeland Security staff woulda been willing participants inna hitler's an himmler's einstatzgruppe actions inna WW II. Di ACLU lang wid ada human rights an civil liberties aaganizieshan dem a investigate, publicize an a file court cases gens Homeland Security's immoral an illegal actions. Dis fram di ACLU , please sign dem petition to congress an e mail yuh representative an senators demanding congressional inspection an monitoring a all Homeland Security facilities, especially detention centers. Mi e mail deh a di end a dis post.
Haddy Gassama ,
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Inna one letta weh a call fi end immigration detention at Fort Bliss, interviews wid 45 people report physical an sexual abuse, medical neglect, an intimidation fi self-deport.
At di largest immigration detention site inna di country, officers beat up Samuel, a detained teenager weh use a pseudonym, so badly, him did haffi go a di hospital. Him right front tooth break, an him seh one officer “grab mi testicles an firmly crush dem,” while anodda one “force him fingers deep inna mi ears.” Im add seh weeks afta di beating, damage to im left ear did so severe dat im now have trouble hearing.
Samuel's a jus one a dozens a accounts a abuse fram di immigration detention site a di Fort Bliss military base inna El Paso, Texas. Dem ya accounts deh reveal an unfolding humanitarian crisis at di military base — one weh may spread across di country as di Trump administration expand detention dangerously, recklessly an wid unprecedented speed.
Human rights organizations, including di ACLU, sen a letta Monday to US Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) weh did a detail accounts a violent assaults an sexual abuse by officers. It also reveal details a other forms a intimidation weh dem use fi pressure detained immigrants fi self-deporting or agreeing fi removal to third countries weh dem have no ties. Di findings dem base pan interviews wid more dan 45 people weh deh a Fort Bliss now, an di letta include 16 signed declarations by people weh dem detain a di facility. Tragically, Francisco Gaspar Andres, an immigrant fram Guatemala, ded a liver an kidney failure afta him fail fi get appropriate medical care at Fort Bliss pan December 3, 2025.
ICE staat detain people a Fort Bliss three months ago , while di site did still a active construction zone. Fort Bliss a di largest detention facility inna di country, weh hold roughly 3,000 people, jus a few thousand shy a it planned maximum capacity. Immigrants dem house inna tent structures inna di extreme El Paso heat. Dis tent camp, build pan a former Japanese internment camp, mark di Trump administration's novel approach fi expand di immigration detention system inna it secan term. Fort Bliss a di administration's first detention facility at a military base, but likely not di last. Wid a $1.2 billion price tag, di facility mark a pivotal point inna di Trump administration's effort fi use di US military, inna dis case its bases, as a central tool a immigration enforcement.
Detained Immigrants Describe Alarming Conditions at Fort Bliss
Since it opening, media reports an stories fram people weh dem detain affirm di conditions, rights violations, an deliberate opacity weh di ACLU warn woulda follow di opening a dis site. Recent reporting reveal alarming conditions at Fort Bliss. Di site don already rack up 60 violations a federal detention standards widin it first 50 days a operation.
Each pod hold 60–70 people weh report chronic food shortages, wid meals sufficient fi only bout 50 individuals. People get force fi ration food, skip meals, or tek turns eating — an wen food deh deh, it often spoiled or partially frozen, cause widespread vomiting, diarrhea, an rapid weight loss. Basic hygiene supplies dem scarce: pods receive only a handful a rolls a toilet paper, an people go days widout soap, clean clothing, or access to functioning showers. Detainees describe tents an bathrooms flooded wid foul water mixed wid urine an feces, creating squalid an unsafe living conditions.
Access to medical care is equally alarming. Individuals wid serious conditions report going days or weeks widout prescribed medication or having medical requests ignored until somebody collapse. Dem name dem yah using pseudonyms fi protect dem identities. Josefina, weh have diabetes, describe how shi get insulin at erratic intervals weh cause dangerous spikes an crashes inna har blood sugar. Fernando go 15 days widout him prescribed blood pressure medication. Ada people, including Ignacio, who did suffer a stroke before, report blurry vision an other clear warning signs while officers fail to provide timely care. Detainees consistently seh dat staff no respond to medical requests fi days an dat people haffi faint or bleed before dem get attention.
Extreme an unlawful use a force is also prominent at Fort Bliss. Several detained individuals have described violent assaults by officers, including sexual abuse. Ignacio, Samuel, an ada piipl ripuot se di afisa dem did a mash op dem testikel wen dem did a biit dem — wan taktik we dem yuuz wen piipl did de aredi restrain ar afta dem did rifuuz fi get rimouv tu Mexico. Abel, Benjamin, an Eduardo also reported being slammed, stomped on, or beated when dem express fear of being sent to Mexico or wen dem jus requested dem medication. Dis a nuh isolated incidents; dem reflect a pattern a brutality weh violate even ICE's minimal standards.
Access to counsel an legal services is similarly inadequate. Wen Fort Bliss did open, it did a rely almost entirely pan tablets fi visitation an attorney communication, an it did a offer no privacy fi confidential legal calls. Di facility don modify dem protocols, but legal service providers dem now allow fi meet wid only ten detainees per day — an impossible limitation fi a population a roughly 3,000. Nuff a dem still lack working PINs fi call attorneys, an di so-called law library nuh have no legal materials.
Dem rights violations — layered on top a hazardous conditions such as leaking water, unstable infrastructure, filthy tents, an ongoing construction — paint a grim picture.
Fort Bliss Signals di Dangerous Future a Immigration Detention Under Trump
If dis a di state a one brand-new, billion-dollar facility widin it first 90 days, di outlook fi di next wave a military-base detention centers is dire. As detention sites open every few weeks nationwide, di ACLU anticipate seh Fort Dix inna New Jersey ago be di next military site weh di Trump administration ago use fi mass immigration detention. Deh have also reports seh ICE a scouting a Coast Guard base inna New York fi immigration detention.
Weh wi a si a Fort Bliss a nuh anomaly; it a one warning. Di conditions at Fort Bliss reflect a broader pattern a ICE evading oversight an accountability. Di facility a one failed experiment weh expose di dangers a rapidly expanding detention, minimal safeguards, limited transparency, an virtually no oversight.
Despite clear congressional authority fi conduct announced or unanounced visits to ICE facilities, ICE continue fi enforce a policy weh require congressional offices fi gi dem a seven-day notice ahead a detention visits an routinely denies dem access to Fort Bliss an other sites. Durin di recent government shutdown, ICE even classify dem congressional relations staff as “non-essential” an furloughed dem. As a result, ICE detention facilities turn into information blackout sites wid no direct channels fi learn bout weh did a gwaan inside.
Di grim reality weh a gwaan a Fort Bliss shuda serve as a stark warning: di Trump administration's mass detention surge a nuh jus unsustainable, but fundamentally dangerous. Weh a gwaan a Fort Bliss tide a shuo di humanitarian crises dem weh a go fala a evri nyuu facility weh dem uopn anda dis ya strategy weh dem neva chek. Unless policymakers, courts, an di public intervene now, Fort Bliss naa go be an outlier; it ago be remembered as di template. Congress haffi hold di Trump administration accountable an mek sure ICE immediately halt detention at Fort Bliss, an cease expanding di use a military resources fi immigration detention an enforcement.
12DEC25
Craig, last week, a 48-year-old man weh dem did detain a Fort Bliss did ded inna ICE custody afta him did fail fi get di right medical care. Dis shudda neva happen. Di accounts dem weh a come fram ICE's largest detention center get more horrifying by di day. Wi continue fi hear reports a food shortages, beatings, tents full a sewage, an medical neglect. Dem deh detained a suffer conditions weh no human being shudn get put through – especially while dem a hold by di United States government.
Wi cyan wait while ICE subject more people to extreme abuse an neglect. Tank yuh fi yuh action today. – Di ACLU Team |
Craig, dis jus in fram wi lawyers: Wi sen a leta today weh a demand seh ICE fi end di inhumane immigration detention at Fort Bliss an immediately stop deporting people to third countries. Dis a weh yuh fi know. Immigrants weh dem hold inna dis facility a face extreme abuse. People a suffer beatings an sexual abuse by officers. Dem a get inadequate an rotten food an foul water. Dem neva gi dem soap, toilet paper, an adequate medical care. Access to legal counsel have been restricted. One teenager get beat so severe dat him lost consciousness an dem haffi tek him to di hospital inna one ambulance inna one incident weh mek him lose him hearing. Dem abuses yah a gwaan wid likkle to no transparency or accountability fram ICE. Dat a wai wi mek wi mesij klier tu ICE tide – wi did a taak bout di horrific abuse weh dem did ripuot inna interviews wid 45 piipl, lang wid sworn declarations fram 16 ada piipl weh did detain a dis ya facility an dem did a demand di detention center fi shet dong fi gud. Wi did warn seh detention at Fort Bliss woulda be a humanitarian disaster fram di moment it did open inna July. Dis a di same site weh dem use during World War II fi intern people a Japanese descent – an turning it inna an immigration detention center jus continue it disturbing legacy a abuse. Now, as di facility don become di country's largest detention center wid a current capacity fi hold 4,000 people, dem deh warnings deh a prove fi be accurate. Nobadi shuda face dis kind a abuse at di han a di US govament. Wi a go kip aan a fait til dis ya senta – an ALL senta laik it – shet dong fi gud. Togedda, Di ACLU Team Dis email was sen by: |
Di United States don provide a home fi immigrants an people weh a look fi safety. Di mass detention a immigrants – including families an kids – is antithetical to wi laws an values. Mi no waan mi taxpayer dollars dem waste pan dis inhumane, immoral, an unneeded ICE detention system. Mi a call pan yuh as mi representative fi conduct rigorous oversight inna ICE facilities, including conducting in-person visits to facilities inna wi state an district, an demanding accountability against all ICE detention abuses.
Anda di Trump administration ICE's budget don skyrocket fi fuel di most extreme expansion a immigration detention inna history. More dan 60,000 immigrants dem detain across di country, inna facilities weh range fram tent camps pan military bases to big private prisons – weh abuse, medical neglect, an complete disregard fi di dignity a people inna it custody a commonplace. It is shameful di drumpf / trump-vance administration encourage Sec Of Homeland Security kkkristi noem fi authorize an actually encourage members a di department fi violate American citizen's an immigrant's civil liberties an human rights. Dem actions deh illegal unda American law, dem a immoral an dem a crimes against humanity unda international law.
ICE plan fi expand detention to a staggering capacity a at least 100,000 people pan any given day, inna more dan 100 detention sites nationwide, despite strong opposition fram Americans across di country an members a Congress.
Building tent camps fi immigrants an deploying mask deportation squads fi terrify wi neighbors an loved ones dem a part a President Trump an Stephen Miller's draconian mass detention an deportation agenda. Di bottom line is dat dis system is fundamentally inhumane, unnecessarily costly, an continue fi put life at risk: Please conduct oversight an demand accountability against ICE's cruel, abusive mass detention machine now.
Onesly,
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